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SWISS MOUNTAIN PASSES, part two
After leaving the little campsite by St. Moritz, we drove in the direction of the Maloja mountain pass. It is just 1.815 meters high but includes around 15 very, very narrow hairpin curves. Just before the descent, there is a parking place with a great view over the valley and the Orlegna dam can be visited after a short hike. The pass road is in…
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SWISS MOUNTAIN PASSES, part one
Late June 2021, we were on our first mountain pass tour in our only 3 months old camper. The first day we just drove to Camping Thusis-Viamala – to be ready for the first pass the next morning. The campsite is situated along the Hinterrhein river and is full of pitches with shadows from tall Scots pine trees (Pinus Silvestris, for those with relevant allergies).…
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Grimentz – a beautiful old village in Switzerland
We have only been to Grimentz once, but it was definitely not our last visit to this wonderful old village. Grimentz is almost 1000 years old and is situated 1.553 meters above sea level. Only about 400 inhabitants live here but during summer and winter, several hundreds of ski and hiking tourists fill the streets and alleys of the village. More than 200 kilometers of…
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A short Christmas trip to Denmark
During the Christmas days, we visited Denmark, where we celebrated a lovely and cozy Christmas together with our family. We stayed in a fantastic rented apartment just outside Varde. It was such a warm and cozy apartment, with a fully equipped kitchen where we also cooked a traditional Christmas dish, relaxed, and enjoyed the view over the snow-covered fields in the days after Christmas eve.…
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France, part eight – Bourg-en-Bresse, Dijon and Bourgogne
After leaving the marmalade maker we drove, via Lyon, to Bourg-en-Bresse. Here we wanted to taste the alleged world’s best (and most expensive) chicken, the Bresse Chicken – or Volaille de Bresse. The king of poultry, the poultry of kings. The chicken has been known at least since 1591 and a fun fact is the color of the Bény variety, the blue legs, white body,…
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France, part five – truffles, foie gras, saffron, market and kiwis
After leaving the snail farm, see the previous post, our plan was to visit a truffle hunter and his dog. When we arrived at the address, the place was closed and actually seemed abandoned. We searched and searched for a “substitute”, without luck. All were closed – perhaps for the season. We even visited a truffle museum and asked for some advice, not much help…
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France, part four – Cognac, Bordeaux, Périgueux and a snail farm
After waking up to the sounds of the roosters, now seeming even fresher than yesterday, we continued our road trip to Cognac, the city as well as the area. Arriving in the Cognac area, we were amazed by HUGE, really HUGE, vineyards all over. It was extreme. And in fact, Cognac, with more than 76.000 hectares, is the largest white wine area in France. But,…
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France, part three – Le Mont-Saint-Michel, Poul’s 97 years old ex-father-in-law and Venise Verte
We left Cave Tronquay late in the morning. After doing some shopping for groceries for the next 2-3 days, and filling up diesel, we arrived at the Mont-Saint-Michel area. As this is a major tourist attraction in this part of France, road signs showing the direction started far far away. When we got closer we suddenly saw the dramatic silhouette from far away. Le Mont-Saint-Michel,…
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Hiking to Seealpsee and the Seealpchäs in Alpstein, Switzerland
SEEALPSEE, LAKE ALP LAKE… is located at 1.143 m.a.s.l. in the Alpstein area in Switzerland. Upon arrival, it is clear why pictures of the lake are so popular on all social media. IT IS JUST STUNNING. Surrounded by mountains and so quiet – at least on a workday. During weekends it can be a bit crowded on the hiking paths. So, we will definitely suggest…
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Unterstammheim – home of Swiss hop growers
UNTERSTAMMHEIM is a small Swiss village with just about 900 citizens. We visited Unterstammheim to find out a bit about hop growing in Switzerland. We were in the right area for this, hops have been grown here since the 1930s. And if that isn’t enough, wine and tobacco are also grown here. We stayed at Hopfengut, they have recently opened for stays for motorhomes and…
